Automatic stop mechanism for knitting machines



Sept. 15, 1931. P. c. KLI'NGLER 1,822,931

AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FQR KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 17, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l WI TNESSES Sept. 15, 1931. v P. c. KLINGLER 1,822,931

AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 17, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 21 22 I O FIG-I.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

SeptLIS, 1931. P. c. KLINGLER 1,822,931

AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 17, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Will WITNESSES INVENTOR: PawZ CJflinyla;

A TTORNE YS.

Patented Sept. 15 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL C. KLING-LER, OF RIVERSIDE, NEW JERSEY AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Application filed July 17, 1926. Serial No. 123,040.

In connection with the operation of knitruns result from failure of the latches of the needles to open, or to the presence in the series, of needles with broken hooks. Then again, tearing or rupture of the fabric is occasioned by persistency of the needle latches to stick and remain in open position thereby causing successive layers of loops to be drawn without shedding and to be eventually out under strain; or else, where occasional latch operation does occur, causing formation of tuck stitches: while lack of uniformity in the fabric loops and wales is traceable to needles that are bent or otherwise deformed.

I am aware that mechanism has been heretofore devised to cause automatic stoppage of knitting machines upon breakage of the butts of the needles; but such stop mechanism is incapable of functioning under the various adverse conditions pointed out above. It is toward overcoming these specific difficulties that the present invention is especially directed, as well as toward provision of detector means capable of being employed either separately or in combination with stop mechanism of existent types in a supplemental or auxiliary capacity.

Another object of my invention is to provide means in connection with stop mechanism for knitting machines, capable of automatically withdrawing the detector, which is relied upon as the actuator, from the normal operative position and to so hold it during certain phases of the knitting cycle, as for example, during welting or incidental to oscillatory knitting.

A further object of my invention is to secure the above advantages with means having the form of an attachment applicable to knitting machines Without requiring any structural changes whatever in them, or interfering with their normal mode of operation.

In the drawings Fig. I is a plan View of a circular hosiery knitting machine conveniently embodying the novel automatic stop mechanism of my invention.

Fig. II is a transverse section of the machine, taken as indicated by the arrows IIII in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a fragmentary elevation, in accordance with the arrows IIIIII in Fig. I1.

Fig. IV is a fragmentary cross section, taken as indicated by the arrows IVIV in Fig. I.

Fig. V is a local detail section, viewed in the direction of the arrows VV in Fig. IV.

Fig. VI is a plan section, taken as indicated by the arrows VI-VI in Fig. IV; and,

Fig. VII is a fragmentary plan View showing certain parts of the stop mechanism in retracted or idle position.

The machine chosen for convenience of il lustration herein is of the standard type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,282,958 ranted to It. IV. Scott, under date of Octdber 29, 1918. The cylinder 9 with its needles 10, is rotatable under support of the bed plate 11, and normally driven in the direction of the arrow in Fig. I, by mechanism capable of imparting both rotary and oscillatory movement thereto through the medium of a pair of intermeshing bevel gears 12, 13 under power derived from a main shaft 14, which is equipped with high and medium speed pulleys 15, 16 and a loose pulley 17, as is customary in this art. The drive mechanism may otherwise be of the usual construction, and, for this reason, is only partly shown in the drawings. The various operative phases of the machine are determined and controlled by an intermittently rotatable drum 18, said drum having suitable circumferential cam lugs to actuate, through interposed thrust bars 19 (Fig. II), the thread feeds 2() (Fig. I), as well as other instrumentalities involved in the knitting. The machine is furthermore provided with a welting dial 21 that is rotatively suspended axially above the needle cylinder 10 by a bracket 22 reaching inward from the needle latch guard ring 23. This termeshing pinion on a vertical shaft 26,

having bearing in a post 27 upstanding from the bed plate 11. The movement of the shaft 26 is in turn communicated, through bevel gears 28, to a short horizonal shaft 29 and from thence transmitted by still another pair of bcvcls 30 (Fig. I) to'the a'Xis 31 0f the welting dial 21. The high and low speed pulleys 15, 16 may have embodied in thema clutching mechanism such as shown in another of R. V. Scotts patents #1270363, dated June 18, 1918, and whereof only the operating finger is indica'tedin the present instance--at 32 in Fig. I of the drawings, the pivot axis 33 of said finger extending up through a bearing provided by the top plate 34 of the machine frame to afford attachment for a locking arm 35. This locking arm 35 is subject to a spring '36 tending to urge the finger 32 outward, and is normally held, in the locked pos tion illustrated, by a'triplatch 37 having the form of a bell crank with a fulcrum at 38 on a bearing-piece 39 that is secured to the top plate 34. The latch 37 is trippable by a collar 40 on a draw rod 41 having sliding guidance in an upstanding wing of the bearing-piece By'means of this draw rod 41, the latch 37 is operatively coupled with a detector 42 which is fulcrumed for horizontal movement about a fixed pivot 43, and has its free end lying crosswise of the needlecircle 9 for engagement and actuation by needles 10 remaining at an elevated level as-a consequence of broken butts,'to bring about automatic stoppage of the machine.

With this brief outline of a standardtype of knitting machine and stop mechanism as a basis, I will now proceed to describe my invention as well as its use in connection with such an organization. Vith further reference to the drawings, 45 designates a supplemental or auxiliary defective needle detector, which, as shown. has the form of a slender finger that normally occupies a radial position relative to'the needle cylinder 9 with its attenuated free end just barely clearing the shanks of the needles 10 at the level of the latch pivots, see Fig. IV. The finger 4-5 is adjustably set in the head 46 of a vertical pivot stem 47 with hearing in the boss 48 of a slide 49 capable of longitudinal movement in a grooved horizontalguide shelf 50 of a vertical bracket 51, which is screwed fast to the bed plate 11 near the post 27, previously referred to. The described arrangement permits the supplemental or auxiliary detector 45 to be bodily withdrawn to the idle retractcd position shown in Fig. VII, and in order that this may be accomplished automatically provisions are made as followsza lever 52 fulcrumed at 53, (Figs. I and II) has one of its ends bifurcated to engage a screw 54 on the slide 49, and its other end pivotally connected at 55 to the vertical arm of a bell crank 56 III) that is rockable on a stud 57 let into a fixed member 58, Fig. I, of the machine and subject to a coiled tension spring 56a. The free horizontal. 8X- tremity of the bell crank 56 is overhung by a linger 59 that is pivoted for swinging movement at'right anglesto said bell crank, on a stud 60 at the end of the member 58, see Figs. 'IIand The linger 59has a tail 61 lying in the path of a series of special cam lugs 62, G3 and B4,secured'to the end of the control drum 18. The motion received by the finger 59 as a consequence of engagement by the cam lugs'62,"68 and'Gl. is transmitted tothe bell crank 56 in opposition to the pull of the spring 56a, and in turn communicated through the connecting lever 52 to the slide all) supporting'the pivot ot'the supplemental or auxiliary detector Inithe present instance there are three special cam lugs 62, G3 and 64, employed on the control-drum 18, one to eltect retraction of the supplemental or auxiliary detector 4-5 and to hold it idle during the welting phase of the knitting cycle, andthe other two toperform a similar ollice duringtheoscillatory phases as in knitting the heel and toe pockets of a stocking; due to thetendency, that during such'phases of knitting the latches of the machine needles are liable to fly out consequent upon centrifugal action, into the path of said detector were it not automatically removed.

A rearward and downward projection 65 of the auxiliary detector 45 (see Figs. IV and VII) engages the bifurcation of a short lever'66 secured to the'top of a shaft 67 having bearing'i'n the bracket 51. An arm 68 projecting laterally from the shaft 67below the guide shelf 50'is coupled, by means of a rod 69,With thelatch 37, as shown in Fig. I. Thus, in the event of an abnormal circumfereiitial projection of the needle circle (which maybe a free latch thrust outward by centrifugal 'force, an outwardly bent or misshapen needle, or a defective needle flexed through accumulation of loops thereon) into the range of the supplemental or auxiliary detector el5fthe latter'will be actuated, and, through the intervening connections already described, cause automatic tripping of the latch 37 with consequent functioning of the clutch mechanism of the pulleys 15. 16 to stop the machine. In order to protect the supplemental or auxiliary detector 45 from injury in case it is accidentally struck by a moving part of the machine fronia-direction opposite to that intended, a spring 70 is placed in compression-between acollar 71 on the rod'69 and the junctureof the'lattcr with thearm68 toabsorb reverse impetus given said detector undentheconditions mentioned.

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Furthermore, it is to be noted the auxiliary detector 45 is located at a point well remote from the knitting cams which occupy a position beneath the yarn feed at 20, so that in passing said detector 45 the needles all move on a horizontal level or plane. On the other hand, the detector 42 overreaches the needle cylinder in the gap occasioned through recession of the knitting needles 10 to form fabric loops. Therefore, in view of the lowering of most of the needles 10 it would not be possible or practicable to interchange the position of the supplemental detector 45 with that of the broken butt detector 42.

Hence, removal or retraction of the detector 45 during welting becomes essential at the time of starting a new stocking, inasmuch as the needles 10 are bare, with the latches thereof free and liable to be flung out into the path or province of said detector, with consequential stoppage of the machine when it is not so desired. Furthermore, it will be apparent. the detector 45 must be retracted during oscillatory knitting in consequence of the liability of the needle latches to be outwardly flung into its province by centrifugal force set up incident to oscillation of the needle bed in action. During knitting of a starting course. for a new stocking on a welting machine such as illustrated, the needles 10 are divided and assigned to different levels and their latches are moreover freed and likely to fly out into horizontal position to engage the detector 45. At the completion of the welt a transfer action takes place, at which time the needles 10 take the loops from the welting instrumentalities. On the other hand. during oscillatory knitting half are elevated to an idle level so that their latches are moved beyond the province of the detector 45, and moreover, in view of the fact that the said detector can be operated only with the needle cylinder moving in the one direction. it is advisableif not essential to Withdraw it from action during such oscillatory knitting.

It is to be particularly noted that the con pling system with the latch 37 is such that one of the detectors 42, 45 may operate as an actuator independent of the other in bringing about. stoppage of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder with means for driving it and automatic stop mechanism, the combination of a detector for broken needle butts, a separate detector for needle latch abnormalities, and means operatively co-ordinating both detectors for capacity to independently actuate the stop mechanism.

2. In a knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder with means for driving it and automatic stop mechanism, the combination of a detector for broken needle butts, a separate detector finger for needle latch abnormalities located at a point well remote from the first mentioned detector, a slide supporting the pivot of the detector finger, and interposed means influenced by lugs on the machine cam drum to shift the slide, thereby to withdraw said detector finger from the needles for maintenance in an idle position during certain phases of the knitting.

3. In a knitting machine comprising a needle cylinder with means for driving it and automatic stop mechanism, the combination of a detector for broken needle butts, a separate pivoted detector finger for needle latch abnormalities located at a point well remote from the first mentioned detector with its active extremity operative at the retracted. level of the needle latch pivots, a slide supporting the pivot of the latter detector, and interposed means influenced by special lugs on the machine cam drum to shift and slide thereby to move said detector finger away from the needles for maintenance in an idle position during welting and incidental to certain other phases of the knitting.

4. In a knitting machine comprising a rotating needle cylinder, the combination of drive means therefor including a latch-controlled pulley-clutch, automatic stop mechanism, a detector for broken needle butts, and a detector finger for needle latch abnormalities located at a point well remote from the knitting cams with its active extremity op erative at the level of the needle latch pivots, said stop mechanism being operatively coordinated with both detectors, and the last mentioned detector adapted to be engaged by outwardly thrust latches in the needle circle in eti'ecting stopping of the machine.

5. In a knitting machine having a. rotating needle cylinder, drive means therefor including a latch-controlled pulley-clutch, automatic stop mechanism, a detector for broken needle butts lying crosswise of the path of the needles, a radially directed detector finger for latch abnormalities located well remote from the first mentioned detector and the knitting cams, said detector finger being adapted for actuation by engagement with outwardly thrust latch projections in the needle cylinder, and coupling connections coordinating both detectors but permitting in-- dependent operation thereof in actuating the latch controlling the pulley-clutch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Riverside, New Jersey, this 14th day of July, 1926.

PAUL C. KLINGLER. 

